SPORTS BRIEFS

Agencies

Thu, Jan 24, 2013 - Page 18

SOCCER

Newcastle sign Yanga-Mbiwa

English Premier League strugglers Newcastle United have agreed a fee with reigning French champions Montpellier Herault to sign France international defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, the French club announced on Tuesday. Newcastle have also agreed a deal with AS Nancy-Lorraine for 20-year-old defender Massadio Haidara, the French top-flight outfit said on their Web site earlier on Tuesday. Nancy said agreement had been reached on a 4 million euro (US$5.32 million) deal for a player who has made 46 appearances for Nancy since a December 2010 debut against Sochaux-Montbeliard.

SOCCER

Cole’s contract extended

England leftback Ashley Cole has ended speculation about his immediate future by signing a one-year contract extension with Chelsea, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. His previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season and the 32-year-old had been linked with moves to either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks. However, Cole, who joined Chelsa from Arsenal in 2006, says he never had any intention of leaving Stamford Bridge.

BOXING

Igarashi to head title event

World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi will stake his title against his compatriot Akira Yaegashi in Tokyo in April, his gym said yesterday. The card will be part of a triple world-title event on April 8 at the Ryogoku sumo arena, with WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka of Japan also fighting top-ranked Malcolm Tunacao of the Philippines and Mexico’s WBC super featherweight champion Gamaliel Diaz taking on Japan’s Takashi Miura. It will be Igarashi’s second defense of the title he wrested from Sonny Boy Jaro of the Philippines in July last year. He has 17 wins, with 10 KOs, against one defeat and one draw.

SOCCER

NZ skipper Nelsen to retire

New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen said yesterday he would take up the coaching reins at Toronto next month, ending his playing career with both the All Whites and England’s Queens Park Rangers. Nelsen signed on as manager of Major League Soccer side Toronto earlier this month, but it was unclear when he would begin his new duties, because his QPR contract did not end until June 30. QPR manager Harry Redknapp was keen for him to stay and help the Premier League side fight relegation, but the 35-year-old said in a statement that he would join Toronto full-time on Feb. 1. Nelsen also called time on his international career with the All Whites, saying that age was catching up with him.

RUGBY UNION

Fava settles injury action

Australian media reports say former Wallabies forward Scott Fava has reached an out-of-court settlement after taking legal action against a New South Wales team physiotherapist over the premature end to his playing career. The 37-year-old Fava retired from rugby with a chronic back problem in 2009 after playing five Tests for Australia. News Limited newspapers cite documents filed in the Australian Supreme Court by Fava as claiming his career was ended due to the actions of Waratahs physiotherapist Michael Moran. Fava said he was permanently injured after Moran carried out what is known as a shift correction, or a list correction, on his back in February 2009, when Moran knew or should have known that Fava had steroid injections to ease pain the day before.